Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-06-15
ORIfF JUsrIUs MA.sHALL AND HIS
WOkk,
" Tho Uaion and Government Competent to
Its Preservation. An Address BY Hon.
X. w. Hughes, OF Norfolk, Va.

Its Preservation An Address by Hon.
X. w. Hugbes OF Norfolk, Va.
FELLOW CIrIZENs: Coming from the low.
lying seaboard beyond the Chesapeake to
from people differing much from Pennsyl.
vanians in extraction, pursuits and local in
stitutions crossing the courses OF grand
rivers, and the boundaries OF great states
and standing here, amid surroundings In
extreme contrast with those left behind, .
stranger among strangers, unknowing and
unknown, still am At home still, in the
patriotic realization of common citizenship,
feel that this is my country, these my coun-
trymen.
If had come from the mountains of the
Canadian frontier, or from the everglades Of
Florida, or from the Pacific front OF our far
western domain, and stood here as stand
now,even then l could say with the affection.
| ate loyalty of An American citizen, your coun.
| try smy country, your flag my hag
How shall we estimate the gratitude we
owe to the founders Of our national govern
ment, which s1liliates and harnonizss sixty
millions Of people, and, combining together
forty states and territories, moulds into q
| single nationality an empire as diverse and
extensive as the continent OF Europe? Ex-
cspt the Divine Author Of our blessed relig.
ion and His holy apostles no body OF men In
all time ever buiIded so beueticently for
mankind as those who founded the Ameri-
rsn Union and devised the marvellous sys.
TEN OF our republic of republics.
The history OF Europe, our fatherland,
seems but little else than q demonstration,
70 the shame OF humanity, OF the audscious
theory OF Hobbies, that war Is the natural
state OF mankind. II upon the map OF Eng.
land, Scotland and Ireland, the three coun.
tries whence the ancestors OF most OF US
came, a red spot were marked wherever
man has shed the blood OF his brother, race
warning against race, nation against nation,
clan against clan, and, most sorrowful OF all,
sect against sect, how deeply crimsoned
would be its color? How would the insen.
sient parchment blush at the frailties OF hu.
man nature? SO truly was 1t written
Lands Lands interseetsd . BY a narrow firth
Make enemies OF nations, who had else,
Like kindred drops, been mingled into one.
Well did the men OF 1889 profit by these
fearful lessons OF the past. They took care
30 to order that European history should not
repeat itself in the New World. They made
1t their cardinal aim to bring the discordant
states Into one family under an organization
that should not contain within itself the seeds
OF dissolution. They sought to combine Oil
the states under one strong government
having the substance as we'll as the form OF
power, having the faculty OF selEpreser walton
and the prestige OF sovereign autonomy. As
the states were the aggregation OF citizens
under governments adequate TO the pur poses
OF local administration, they enlarged the
scheme and combined those bodies them
selves into republic OF states under Q gov
eminent invested with the exclusive control
OF national affairs, and armed with powers
adequate to all purposes OF national admins.
trati0n. They took care to provide the es.
sentisl req uisite In each instances OF plenary
powers those OF the states in local, aud
those Of the Union In national concerns. The
most anomalous feature OF the system was
their empewering the national government
to act directly upon the people en- Hidsse, and
not, as before, limiting its action exclusively
tn the states a. organic bodies. They 30 or.
dered that the national government was a.
much At home among the people a. the gov
srnmsnts Of the states themselves.
Before their day the wit OF man had not
conceived q scheme OF international fedora
ton more substantial than that of league,
resting upon treaty, with tenure OF life at the
will OF each contracting power. The states.
men OF II 80 discarded this fragile conception.
They disdaiusd q league, they established q
government Of states
Another anomaly characterized the ma.
uonsl system which they ordained. They
were not more jealous Of executive than OF
legislative and popular usurpatiOn. They
were not more firmly OF opinion that the
welfare OF the governed requires the limita-
tion of regal prerozstive than that curb
should be put upon the demos ITSELF Ac'
cordingy, by carefully drawn charters or
constitutions, they limited the powers left TO
the states and ret out q precise schedule OF
those which they granted to the nation. As
the enforcement OF the constitutions OF the
states had been entrusted by their authors to
the respective state judicaries, 10 they con.
ferred the power of interpreting and enforc.
Ing the national constitution upon one ns
tionsl supreme court aud its anoillary tribu.
nails Thus WAS devolved upon the judges
OF America function previously unknown
to Jurisprudence; q function the most august
that could be conferred upon public servants.
Not merely were the courts to arbitrats a.
usual the controversies that arise between
man and man, but 1t was made their duty,
when occasion arose, to declare TO the legia-
latures, to the executives, or to the
constituent citizenship OF the states, and
the nation, that this or that statute,
this or that proceeding, IL repugnsnt
10 the organic law. and therefore null, void
and forbidden. They were made governors
OF the government itself and though not
themselves armed with the power OF the veto,
they were endowed with the conservative
prerogative OF v0icing the organic law when
ever invoked for the prevention OF abuses Of
power
ONE or THE MARvELs OF HISTORY.
the success Of the founders OF the national |
government In dsvising its plan and In 90
curing its inauguration, II one OF the msrvels /
Of history. 1t WAS Q marvel that the plan /
was conceived at all, OF combining series OF /
plenary governments in Harmonious subOr.
ulassl0a 70 = common 0ne, ITSELF Ia its
0O0oFA n ROvAPn m nf nj nnagu nNuroRa IL L